THE NATIONAL HONORS REPORT VOL. XXIV, NO. 1, SPRING 2003

Authors

Date of this Version

2003

Document Type

Article

Comments

Copyright 2003 NCHC, Inc.

Abstract

THE GEOGRAPHY OF HONORS

1. Think, Believe, Act on a Himalayan Scale by Rosalie Otero … 1 In Rosalie Otero's Presidential Speech, she reminds us that we learn through the quest for learning. Setting our sights higher is the challenge of honors: finding a new and different view of the world and getting there with groups more and more diversified and through means expanding to include virtual journeys.

2. Earl Brown: Colleague, Leader, and Friend by Bob Spurrier … 6 A tribute to former Executive Secretary Treasurer Earl Brown upon his reaching the top of his profession, thanks to the assistance of many colleagues and friends. Also a tribute to Gayle Barksdale and Liz Cassell from the national office housed at Radford University from 1996-2003.

3. Religion: a Factor of Importance in Honors and Public Life by Preston N. Williams … 9 A provocative essay about the need for an authentic, intellectual religion to promote justice and fairness. Too often, Williams says, are religion and ethics viewed as anti-intellectual. Honors, however, gives students the opportunity to learn about diverse religions and apply that learning, along with their own field of expertise, to public issues such as human rights and international trade. Honors can teach students to recognize when religion is used to defend or enlarge the power and influence of our way of life, to separate religious belieffrom the practices of religion. A warning to all of us about allowing only self-appointed interpreters of religion to express religious judgments.

4. Whose Interests are We Serving? by James Tallmon … 14 James Tallmon reminds us of the beauty of knowledge. A plea to all conference program planners to remember that undergraduates' excitement in learning should take precedence over the fads, the cuteness of the ideas (what he calls drive-by criticism). What is old hat to program planners is very likely to be brand new to students. (If you read Tallmon's article in a previous issue, you missed his very fine ending because of our mistake. Take a look at the article again.)

PEAKS AND VALLEYS

5. Absence of Entries for NCHC Institutions in the third edition of the Peterson's Guide to Honors Programs and Colleges by Tom Sawyer ... 15 Out of 816 institutional members of the NCHC, 240 were not included in the new third edition of the Peterson's Guide. Sawyer, chair of the Research Committee, received a return of about 50% to a questionnaire sent to the honors deans or directors at these 240 member institutions. Interesting responses, ranging from lack of time and/or staff to send in material for an entry (24%) to program no longer in operation (2%).

6. Selling People on Honors Education by Lydia Daniel and Joan Digby … 17 A generic article for a local newspaper on honors education with places left to describe a particular program or college. How to promote honors and recruitfor your own program or college at the same time. Also includes a promotion for the Peterson's Guide to Honors Programs and Colleges.

7. Partnerships in Honors: Combining Efforts in a Common Cause by John W. Warren … 19 Warren, President of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS), challenges the NCHC to increase its visibility and promote the integrity of honors.

CURIOSITY ABOUT THE WORLD

8. Beginning in Honors 2002: The Ethos of Optimism by Elizabeth Boretz ... 21 The sharing among new directors at Conference '02. Boretz, from Eastern Oregon University, tells of designing and initiating an honors program. It is not in the nature of honors, she says, to declare victory at any point. Those in honors must be optimistic when sharing new ideas adapted for a particular campus.

9. The More Things Change: The Small College Director's Work Load by Jay Ward ... 25 A good article for any constituency, not just Small College. Ward discovers how much time small college honors directors spend on administrative duties-too much, of course. When, however, in-coming directors have incomplete ideas about the multitude of the tasks ahead, then their administration is likely to have even less an idea of what support that director needs. No wonder, Ward says, that the turnover for directors is about five years.

10. Building Community: The Fall Retreat in a Commuter School by Eddie Weller … 27 The need for a retreat for honors students at a commuter institution. Weller, of San Jacinto College South in Houston, explains how honors students especially at a commuter school need contact with their "peer" group: peer because of academic interests, not age or ethnicity or any other division. Helping to create a community despite students' course schedules, work, and family demands. With a generic model of an overnight retreat beginning late one-afternoon, ending after lunch on the following day.

11. Into the World of Honors by Patricia Alley-Josey … 30 A college student accomplishes more than she ever dreamed of. Alley-Josey fights a debilitating medical condition as a new honors student. With the help of honors faculty and honors students, she succeeds in her course work. Alley-Josey will present her thesis at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in April 2003.

12. Building a Top-Rated Honors Web Page by Larry Crockett … 32 Dr. Crockett shares tips for an honors web page, and secrets for an award-winning honors web page. Director at Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Crockett covers such topics as web-based learning and technical issues for non-technical directors.

EXPLORATION

13. Use of the Internet to Collect Elusive Honors Data by David Reibstein … 37 Reibstein identifies certain types of data that the Albert Dorman Honors College at the New Jersey Institute of Technology finds essential to track. An interactive web page asks honors students to update their research projects as well as campus and community service-information not otherwise available. Such a page also allows the College to keep track of who responds and to download the material and import it into a database program.

14. Recognizing Honors Students Upon Graduation: Some Approaches by John H. Jones … 40 A tabulation of responses to a listserv post last year concerning the ways to recognize honors students at their graduation. Jones provides data from 29 schools organized by public/private and small college/medium-sized collegesllarge universities. Jones also points out other considerations: (a) cost; (b) student input; (c) value of public recognition versus written record of achievement.

15. Teaching Honors on the Web: Challenges, Opportunities, and Early Experiences by Edward R. Kemery, Melinda J. Frederick, Nelson Kofie, and Susan Carrafiello … 43 Dr. Kemery (University of Baltimore) shares information about two honors programs ahead of many others in adopting web technology into their course offerings. Kemery discusses the impact of teaching honors on the web and its challenges to teaching and learning. Honors directors and assistant directors from Prince George's Community College and Wright State describe their programs' use of web courses as well as their rationale for doing so.

16. Fall 2003 Nationwide Satellite Seminar Series … 50 Another innovationfor honors courses. Phi Theta Kappa's presentation of topic and lecturers for 2003, with information about signing up for the seminar.

AND THE BUSINESS OF HONORS

17. Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Headquarters Site submitted by Ricki Shine … 52

18. Minutes of the Annual Business Meeting (DRAFT) submitted by Earl Brown … 53

19. Minutes of the Executive Committee Meeting (DRAFT) submitted by Earl Brown … 54